Helicopters

Orlando-Sanford International Airport-based Vertical Aviation Technologies, Inc. recently purchased type certificate 1H2 from Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, which represents the FAA design approval for the S-52 series helicopters Sikorsky originally developed and certified. Vertical plans to release its own version to the commercial marketplace as the new four-place S-52L Hummingbird. Brad Clark, president of Vertical Aviation, […]

When an engineer proposes a truly new solution to an entrenched problem, a chorus of naysayers inevitably arises from the midst of any nods of appreciation. The FAA, in fact, has produced processes for accepting such departures from common thinking—often found under the “alternate means of compliance” route in aircraft certification—but those manufacturers that have […]

Viewing the Manhattan skyline from any vantage point is impressive, but when seen from aloft the Big Apple skyline becomes a breathtaking experience. In March 2018, a New York tour operator launched an Airbus AS350 helicopter with a pilot and five passengers for what was expected to be a 30-minute dusk flight near the East […]